The Sound of Detroit.

May 17, 2006 11:52 PM

Please, allow me to introduce you to Detroit Techno. Artist Derrick May once described it as "George Clinton and Kraftwerk stuck in an elevator." Despite being virtually unknown in the United States, this genre has achieved global popularity. Noteworthy artists include Carl Craig, Sean Deason, Stacey Pullen, Jeff Mills, Underground Resistance, DJ Assault, Moodymann, and Kevin Saunderson (among others). From May 27th-29th the city of Detroit will launch a huge electronic music festival . It isn't something you see everyday in the U.S., so check it out. Here are some o t h e r links.
posted by j-urb (45 comments total)

Virtually unknown? come on now.
posted by shoepal at 12:25 AM on May 18, 2006

dj assault
posted by elr at 12:31 AM on May 18, 2006

And from today's earlier thread, some Manchester Techno
posted by PeterMcDermott at 12:49 AM on May 18, 2006

Yeah, virtually unknown? I know lots of fans of the (sub)genre.

I went to the first and second of this festival years ago, and both were outstanding (I saw Richie Hawtin spin a set one year that was especially memorable). What was most surprising to me was the completely mixed nature of the crowd--everything from hipsters to techno rats to families to retired couples, all groovin to the beats.
posted by LooseFilter at 1:26 AM on May 18, 2006

While you're at it, be sure to point out that this is what all the brothers should be bumpin' in their rides instead of gangstacore. Because they need to know that techno is not just for suburban caucasian raver kids.
posted by deusdiabolus at 1:45 AM on May 18, 2006

The festival has gone downhill. Last year's was the 1974 to earlier festivals' 1968, as it were -- the Fear and Loathing to 2000's On the Road. (I'll still be going, though.)
posted by Tlogmer at 2:20 AM on May 18, 2006

the new jimmy edgar release from warp is pretty awesome..
posted by ori at 2:35 AM on May 18, 2006

I think I would like to hump on your head.
posted by loquacious at 2:41 AM on May 18, 2006 [1 favorite]

Please, allow me to introduce you to Glasgow, Scotland. Or Little Detroit. So much mutual backslapping goes on between these twinned towns that the Detroit sound that Underground Resistance count a tiny, wee record shop there as allies, recluse Claude Young now lives there and practically every damn week/month another Detroit "legend" flies in to play records. The mutual attraction may be explained our shared propensity for violence...
posted by brautigan at 2:59 AM on May 18, 2006

Oops, please ignore "the Detroit sound that" bit above. It'll probably make more sense that way.
posted by brautigan at 3:02 AM on May 18, 2006

The EMF has sucked since 2001's obsession with the Neon.
posted by k8t at 4:55 AM on May 18, 2006

Here's my post from a few months back. There's an interesting debate on the 313 list right now about how most of DEMF's line-up this year is white Europeans.
posted by hyperizer at 5:54 AM on May 18, 2006

Virtually unkown? Get real.
posted by ChasFile at 6:28 AM on May 18, 2006

Underground stage on Monday looks chuffing great: Derrick Carter, David Duriez, Greenskeepers, Guy Gerber, James Curd, Kenny Glasgow, Miss Honey Dijon, Roy Davis, Jr.

Hyperizer: That's cos all the black Detroiters are in Glasgow.
posted by brautigan at 7:23 AM on May 18, 2006

Maybe I was exaggerating, but come on, if you polled self described "fans of music" today in the US, I would be pretty sure that less than 5% would have heard of Detroit Techno. Even less would be able to name an artist. Now people on mefi will skew the results because we are a little more cultured than the rest of society.
posted by j-urb at 7:27 AM on May 18, 2006

j-urb, I think you're severely underestimating either (i) the popularity of Detroit techno, (ii) the knowledge of "self described fans of music" or both. Techno is over 20 years old, it's informed so much other music and it's got plenty of history – I'd hardly think it was a minority sport, as it were, let alone virtually unknown, as you initially said.

Oh, and brautigan (more Weegie MeFi folks! always good), I saw Carl Craig at the Subbie the other week. The bass on his remix of Gonzalez & Russom's Rise made my trousers flap. Most excellent.

*Waits for jack_mo to show up with excellent anecdote about Claude Young's birthday party a few years back.*
posted by Len at 7:39 AM on May 18, 2006

Now people on mefi will skew the results because we are a little more cultured than the rest of society.

Hah. Nice attempt to soften us up through flattery.

"People are morons. Oh, but not YOU people. You're the exceptions."
posted by Gamblor at 7:39 AM on May 18, 2006

the new jimmy edgar release from warp is pretty awesome..

It is quite good. Songs can be heard on Bleep.
posted by Mr. Six at 7:50 AM on May 18, 2006

j-urb, don't be a chopper, just admit you underestimated your audience.

Hell, I saw Etienne de Crecy last weekend, and the Stanton Warriors the weekend before, and I don't even like electronic music. (just kidding)
posted by runkelfinker at 7:53 AM on May 18, 2006

to me this post reads kinda strange. people who are this kind of music already know about Detroit techno and people who aren't probably aren't interested.

Can't wait for the post introducing us all to indie rock!
posted by dydecker at 7:55 AM on May 18, 2006

Despite being virtually unknown in the United States

You know nothing of music.
posted by Jairus at 8:11 AM on May 18, 2006

I heard something vague that the DEMF actually might not suck this year because the one drama queen who made it suck in the first place decided to stop being a drama queen or something. I don't know, I just read the headlines, not the articles...
posted by dvdgee at 8:17 AM on May 18, 2006

also, the only thing entertaining about this post is throwing in dj assault with the rest of those pious bastards. that's awesome.
posted by dvdgee at 8:18 AM on May 18, 2006

*shows up with anecdote about Claude's birthday party a few years back*

Not really an anecdote, though, more an amusing image. Claude is - how can I put this? - a black gentleman of not insubstantial girth, whereas I'm six foot one, deathly pale, and at the time probably weighed less than eight stone. Upon entering the glass-roofed venue for Claude's birthday bash, because we hadn't seen each other in a while, he picked me up in a bear hug and twirled me around the dancefloor like a bale of straw, at the exact moment that a bolt of lightning lit up the entire room. Cue the supposedly po-faced techno fraternity pissing themselves laughing for half an hour. It's not name-dropping if you make yourself look silly, is it? ;-)

Reclusive is right, too, not seen him in years now (was under the impression he moved to Japan a while back?). The opening party of his short-lived night at our beloved Sub Club remains the benchmark for techno mixing for me - hip-hop style cutting, sublime little bursts of tracks, approaching a new song a minute at times, dumb rave rudely puncturing the pristine techno...

Come to think of it, I really wouldn't be surprised if Claude was on MetaFilter - very geeky, and quite the Apple fanboy.

Oh, and since we're talking about Detroit, I will insert my traditional comment: despite making at least one perfect record, Derrick May is a total fucking cockend in dire need of a slap. He's defo harder than me, though, so I'll have to leave that to someone else ;-)
posted by jack_mo at 8:20 AM on May 18, 2006

And as for the Detroit-Glasgow thing, I wish I could find the piece I wrote for Jockey Slut a few years back theorising that the decline of heavy industry in both cities not only created an appetite for the charactistic sounds of techno, but made its invention inevitable. It was such a spectacularly pretentious slice of Debord-licking wank that they refused to publish it...
posted by jack_mo at 8:29 AM on May 18, 2006

Oh, and amusing techno image #2: Maurice Fulton eating a deep-fried battered sausage in Rub A Dub, exclaiming 'Is this supposed to be food?'

I'll shut up now.
posted by jack_mo at 8:33 AM on May 18, 2006

Ha ha, I'd forgotten about Maurice Fulton and his sausage supper.

On the industrial decline as leading to the inevitable invention of techno, lovable windbag that he is Anthony (H. Don't forget the H.) Wilson has a similar sort of theory, something along the lines of scenes (not necessarily just techno, mind) always thrive in post-industrial, smallish cities, cf. Glasgow, Manchester, Sheffield, Detroit, Akron (Ohio – Devo, Pere Ubu et. al.) ... Not sure if it entirely holds water, but there's certainly an interesting lenghty essay in the idea. Come to think of it, Paul Morley or Simon Reynolds has probably written one already.
posted by Len at 8:45 AM on May 18, 2006

just admit you underestimated your audience.

I will only state that I find the mefi community to be much more knowledgeable about music than the general population. If I did underestimate anyone it would be the general population; however, I stand by my words and will continue to be skeptical of the general population's knowledge of music. Their exploration of American Idol, the dirty south, and pseudo indie rock artists in recent years don't leave me feeling assured of their credentials. The most popular American artists aren't Detroit artists but trance and house artists (Paul Oakenfold, Tiesto, Sasha, Daft Punk, Basement Jaxx, ect.).
posted by j-urb at 8:48 AM on May 18, 2006

American artists = American (electronic/techno) artists
posted by j-urb at 8:49 AM on May 18, 2006

Jesus, j-urb, you don't feel "assured of [the] credentials" of America's music fans, just because of the popularity of American Idol or "pseudo indie rock" (would "real indie rock" be okay, or is that just as bad?)? That's the worst kind of snobbery there is. So bad music is popular? Boo fucking hoo. Bad music has always been popular, that doesn't mean everyone in the country is some drooling idiot unable to think for themselves and not suck up whatever patsy Simon Cowell is shoving down their collective throat this week.

Are the British population's "credentials", gained (say) by Rub A Dub bringing over Underground Resistance and having them play in the basement of a curry house in Paisley for a rabid crowd of techno fans suddenly invalidated because Pop Idol acts and dross like Coldplay sell by the million in the UK?

Oh, and all those trance and house artists who are popular in the states (some of whom are good, some of whom are awful)? They would never have existed if it weren't for Detroit innovators, and claiming that just because you like (say) Paul Oakenfold, means you can't have ever heard/liked the collected output of Transmat makes as much sense as arguing that none of the millions of people who bought, for the sake of argument, Nevermind, had ever heard anything on SST or Touch'n'Go. It's just total bollocks.
posted by Len at 9:20 AM on May 18, 2006

however, I stand by my words and will continue to be skeptical of the general population's knowledge of music.

Any label that sells as many records as Carl Craig's label does cannot be considered 'virtually unknown' by any definition. Symphonic Black Metal is virtually unknown. Powernoise is virtually unknown. Detroit Techno is huuuge.
posted by Jairus at 9:21 AM on May 18, 2006

however, I stand by my words and will continue to be skeptical of the general population's knowledge of music

Based on your knowledge of a certain sub-genre of music. Last Night a Dj Saved My Life treats Detroit as the Eden from which all electronica sprang.
posted by yerfatma at 9:50 AM on May 18, 2006

Another good reference is Dan Sicko's Techno Rebels (unfortunately OOP).
posted by hyperizer at 10:06 AM on May 18, 2006

Detroit is a smallish city? Like Akron? Man, you need to get out of the clubs some...
posted by QIbHom at 3:12 PM on May 18, 2006

Please, allow me to introduce you to Glasgow, Scotland.

There is nothing but decline prophesied for Weegieland.
Franz Ferdinand cannot save you.
I urge you all to leave while there is still time.
posted by sgt.serenity at 3:33 PM on May 18, 2006

The most popular American artists aren't Detroit artists but trance and house artists (Paul Oakenfold, Tiesto, Sasha, Daft Punk, Basement Jaxx, ect [sic].).

Hee hee. Hoist by your own petard, much, j-urb? For future reference, the artists you list are, in order, British, Dutch, British, French and British.

Detroit is a smallish city? Like Akron? Man, you need to get out of the clubs some...

Man, you need to look the word 'relatively' up in the dictionary.
posted by jack_mo at 6:53 PM on May 18, 2006

Or, er, you know, the suffix -ish. It's petard self-hoisting night tonight, eh?
posted by jack_mo at 6:54 PM on May 18, 2006

For future reference, the artists you list are, in order, British, Dutch, British, French and British.

Proof positive: You know nothing of music.
posted by Jairus at 7:43 PM on May 18, 2006

I went last year. It was lots of fun, Marco Passarani, Alexander Robotnick, Legowelt and Richie Hawtin were all amazing.

I'm going again this year and the line-up looks to be 10 times better...Superpitcher, The Orb, Audion, Photek, Dabrye, Richie Hawtin, Richard Devine, Markus Guentner and Frank Martiniq and many others are sure to make the time quite pleasant.
posted by cloeburner at 9:19 PM on May 18, 2006

The most popular American artists aren't Detroit artists but trance and house artists (Paul Oakenfold, Tiesto, Sasha, Daft Punk, Basement Jaxx, ect [sic].).

Hee hee. Hoist by your own petard, much, j-urb? For future reference, the artists you list are, in order, British, Dutch, British, French and British.

I was thinking most popular in America, labled them American on accident. Honestly, since this thread is over I will speak the truth now. I just exaggerated/argued to get more interest in the post since DEMF was coming up. Thanks for participating.
posted by j-urb at 10:12 PM on May 18, 2006

Next time, buy a fucking banner ad.
posted by Jairus at 10:28 PM on May 18, 2006

Proof positive: You know nothing of music.

Eh? Are you saying that those artist's aren't from those countries? Because they are. Really. That's where they come from. Or are you talking to j-urb?

labled them American on accident

Fair dos.

I just exaggerated/argued to get more interest in the post since DEMF was coming up.

Ugh.
posted by jack_mo at 2:49 AM on May 19, 2006

(I was talking to j-urb.)
posted by Jairus at 4:43 AM on May 19, 2006

On the plus side, a little Ketamine and I'll have forgotten all about this thread.
posted by yerfatma at 5:13 AM on May 19, 2006

The EMF has sucked since 2001's obsession with the Neon.

Actually, it was the Ford Focus...but despite the FoMoCo sponsorship, it was all in all a good weekend, save the Monday night hailstorm I've mentioned previously. Still can't forget the vibe during Stacey Pullen's set.
posted by rhythim at 3:53 PM on May 19, 2006